korean kimchi pancake with mackerel salad

Crisp yet chewy – with a spicy, zingy kick – this Korean pancake (kimchijeon) recipe will be the reason you always have a jar of kimchi in your fridge. It is perfect served with our recipe for Smoked Mackerel Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing (recipe here). 

Learn how to make kimchi from scratch at the Korean Cuisine class in our London cook school

Makes 2 pancakes

Ingredients

190g kimchi
175g self-raising flour
25g of cornstarch
4 spring onions, chopped (green tops removed)
1 tsp gochujang paste
Fish sauce, to taste

Method

  1. Begin by squeezing as much liquid from the kimchi as possible, making sure to reserve the kimchi liquid. Set the kimchi aside.
  2. In a separate jug, add the reserved kimchi brine and enough water to equal a combined volume of 200ml.
  3. Combine the flour and cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Bit by bit, add the kimchi brine-water mix, making sure to smooth out any lumps before adding more, until all the liquid has been added. The batter will resemble a light but thick pancake batter.
    korean kimchi pancake

  4. Finely chop the spring onions and the squeezed kimchi. Fold them into the batter, along with the gochujang paste and fish sauce, to your taste. Continue to mix the batter until the paste has been evenly incorporated.
  5. Preheat your oven to 140°C. Heat 2 tbsp of neutral cooking oil in a large crêpe pan over a medium high heat. Once the oil is hot (shimmering but not smoking), carefully ladle half of the mix into the pan and spread to a centimetre thickness with a spoon. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the edges begin to turn a golden brown (roughly 2-5 minutes). Flip the pancake to the other side, being careful not to splash any hot oil. (Top up with a bit more oil if necessary.) Repeat the process of colouring the pancake, using the edges as a guide. Once the pancake has a nice colour on both sides, carefully place it in the oven and repeat the process with the rest of the batter.
    korean kimchi pancake

Enjoy these Korean kimchi pancakes with our Smoked Mackerel and Preserved Lemon Salad (recipe here).